1. Field of the Invention
The present application relates generally to an improved data processing apparatus and method and more specifically to an apparatus and method for notifying co-recipients of a communication about other recipients replying to the communication.
2. Background of the Invention
In today's society, communications are more and more reliant on data networks to provide the connectivity between users for transmitting and receiving such communications. As such, many different forms of communication have been developed including electronic mail, instant messaging, and the like. Each of these different communication mechanisms provide different user experiences and are good for different desired forms of communication. For example, electronic mail messaging allows users to compose elaborate messages, attach and/or embed files within the electronic mail message, keep easily accessible histories of electronic mail messages, and the like.
Instant messaging communications provide real-time communication that allows easy collaboration that are more akin to genuine conversations than electronic mail which is more of a “letter” format type of communication. In contrast to electronic mail, with instant messaging communications, the parties generally know whether another party is available or not since most systems allow the users to set their on-line status or away message so that parties are notified whether the user is available, busy, or away from their computer. With some instant messaging systems, it is possible to maintain logs of instant messages, making them more permanent in nature than previous instant messaging systems, thereby blurring the distinctions between electronic mail and instant messaging systems.
It is often the case with widely distributed communications, such as via electronic mail and instant messages, that a single communication may result in a multitude of replies, all generally saying the same thing. Some communication systems, such as instant messaging communication systems, attempt to mitigate such repetitious replies by providing an indicator of a party presently involved in replying to a previous instant message communication. That is, if an instant message is sent to another instant messaging party, if that party begins to respond to the received instant message, an indicator may be provided stating that the party is currently involved in providing a reply. This allows others to complete a reply or comment to a group without being typed over or being side tracked with duplicate reply messages.